Magic Dolphin — Two-Hour Dolphin and Whale Search from Morro Jable

What is this tour like?

A fast 11.72-metre boat leaves Morro Jable and spends two hours looking for dolphins, pilot whales and beaked whales in the open Atlantic, with an open bar of cold drinks and a short swim stop when the sea allows. €49 per adult and €39 per child aged 2 to 11; babies under two cannot come aboard, and no food is served.

Magic Dolphin exists to solve a scheduling problem. The other Magic & Sailing boats want four hours of your day; this one wants two, and spends all of it on the thing most guests booked a boat for in the first place. It runs from Morro Jable, the harbour closest to the deep water off the Jandía peninsula where the animals feed.

The operator states that 29 cetacean species have been recorded in the Canaries. The ones the crew names as most common here are bottlenose, common, spotted, striped and rough-toothed dolphins, along with beaked whales and pilot whales, and larger whales pass through as well. Spring and autumn usually give the most favourable conditions, though the trip runs year round.

The operator is unusually direct about what it will not promise. Sightings depend on nature and are never guaranteed; the crew observes at a distance rather than chasing, follows its own responsible-watching rules, and asks guests to do the same. It is equally direct about the catering: drinks are included and food is not, because a fast two-hour search is the wrong shape for a served lunch. If sea conditions allow, a brief swim stop is added at the end.

A place costs €49 for an adult and €39 for a child aged two to eleven. Babies aged nought to two cannot take part for safety reasons — worth knowing before booking, because this is one of the few boats on the island where a baby is not simply free. Pick-up runs from selected points in Costa Calma, Esquinzo, Morro Jable and Jandía; the operator says these are not door-to-door but usually about a five-minute walk from most accommodation in the area.